Grad VI RW / Nigel Caplan
Major Assignments / Globalization
Your final assignment this session will be to write a report or case study on an aspect of the class theme that you are interested in professionally or academically. The theme for this session is globalization. For example, you could consider this topic from the perspective of:
· Business (how has globalization impacted small business/large corporations? Why do companies go global? What are the pros/cons of globalization for a business? What are the environmental implications of globalization? How can businesses handle cultural conflicts? Does outsourcing benefit or harm a company’s home country and/or the producing country?)
· Marketing (how can a global company market itself? How well do regional brands succeed in the global marketplace? How does culture affect global marketing? What has been the impact of global brands? How has the globalization of media affected marketing?)
· Economics/Finance (what are the macro- and/or micro-economic effects of globalization? How have organizations like the World Bank and the IMF promoted or hindered globalization? Is globalization positive or negative for different types of economy (e.g. developed/developing countries)? What the implications of a globalized economy? How can individual countries retain control over their economies? How do decisions made in one country affect another country’s economy?)
· Science (biology, chemistry, etc.) (to what extent has scientific research been globalized? What are the implications of this for scientists? Should scientific discoveries be shared internally or kept as a country’s intellectual property? Has English become the international language of science, and if so, what are the implications of this? Are non-English journals and conferences still relevant? Are scholars discriminated against for publishing in languages other than English?)
· Medicine (what are the medical and ethical implications of medical tourism? Has globalization improved medical care and public health in developed countries? What responsibility do richer countries have to share medical care with developing nations?)
· Public Policy (Is protectionism against globalization ever justified? When? Why? Should local cultures and businesses be supported through public policy? Does globalization promote economic and social development? What are the political ideologies of globalization? Is globalization the same as Westernization?)
· Education (how has globalization changed higher education? Should universities in countries where English is not the first/official language offer degree courses in English? Should education be treated as a global business? How has the increase in international university students affected US universities? How can universities compete in the global market place? Does the presence of international students mean a campus has “internationalized”?)
· Media/Cultural Studies (does globalization threaten native languages and cultures? Are cultures becoming more or less similar? What is the role of the media in globalization? How have technologies such as Facebook and Twitter affected international events?)
· Linguistics (has globalization accelerated the pace of linguistic contact and change? Is there, or should there be, a lingua franca? Should indigenous languages be protected or allowed to die? Is the spread of English and Spanish a case of linguistic imperialism or improved access to resources?)
A report “describes the state or gives an account of a problem/issue/text” (MICUSP description).[1] A report is mostly descriptive and does not usually contain the writer’s opinion, although you might give recommendations. Reports do not include original research; they summarize and synthesize the literature (=articles, research, and reports already written about the topic). A report is sometimes called a library research paper because most of your research will be with library resources.
Another approach to this theme would be to examine an important case study of globalization – e.g. how a company went global successfully or not, or how a local business survived the threat of globalization, or a particular country’s experience of globalization. Look at sample case studies in the Harvard Business Review and other journals for ideas.
University policy requires that everything you submit for this course be written during this session and for this class only (that is, you cannot “recycle” a paper you have already written for another course). If you have taken Grad VI before, you must choose a new topic or a new angle!
Please write all your assignments for an educated, non-specialist, academic audience (your instructor and classmates). All writing (except feeder #2) will be submitted via TurnItIn.com [TIN]. All papers must be typed and double-spaced, using Times 12 point font and 1-inch margins. Do not include a cover page, but make sure your name, draft number, and due date are at the start of the paper.
The following assignments are subject to change, but should give you a rough overview of the rest of our course. The feeder assignments build towards the final paper and must all be from the same (broad) topic. You are encouraged to use these opportunities to explore and experiment with aspects of your topic.
Feeder Assignment #1: Article Summary
Task: Choose a substantial article, chapter, or paper from your research and write a concise summary of the main ideas. Imagine that you are presenting your article at a seminar for other graduate students. See AWG Unit 5 for more information about summaries.
Requirements: Your summary should be around one to one-and-a-half pages in length (250-350 words). Your paper must be typed using 11-12 point font and 1” margins and will be submitted electronically and in print. Schedule to be announced.
Feeder Assignment #2: Project Proposal
Task: Write an email to your instructor proposing the topic for your final paper. In your email, state the question(s) you want to answer or the case you wish to study, the connection to your academic or professional interests, and the reason that you think this is a useful paper for you to write. Explain what you already know about the topic and what you want to learn.
Requirements: Write your email in a professional style with a subject line, greeting, paragraphs, appropriate tone, and closing.
Feeder Assignment #3: Synthesis
Task: Choose two more articles on the same topic from your research and show how the articles support or disagree with each other. See AWG p.220-227 for more information about this kind of summary. You may use any appropriate articles for this assignment (see the instructions under feeder #4: annotated bibliography).
Feeder Assignment #4: Annotated Bibliography
You need to find a minimum of 8 appropriate sources. These can be a combination of articles, books, textbooks, chapters from edited collections (each chapter counts as one source), and other sources that are accepted in your field. Only professional or academic internet sources are acceptable (so, no Wikipedia or personal websites, generally). These sources will form the basis of your review article. Please consult with your instructor and a reference librarian if you need help identifying sources. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about acceptable sources in your area of study. For each article, please include:
1. The complete reference according to the most common style guide in your field. If you are not sure what that should be, use the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide, 6th edition.
2. A brief note summarizing the article and explaining how you will use it in your paper. Usually, 2-3 sentences is adequate.
If the source is not easily available online, please attach a photocopy or print out, or send it as a scanned PDF to your instructor.
Final Assignment: Review Article
Write a 5-7 page (about 2,000-word) report on an issue of interest in the area of globalization, or a thorough case study of globalization through the experience of an individual, business, industry, or county.
Please note that you should use the same documentation format as for your annotated bibliography (usually APA 6th edition).
All stages of the process (drafts, peer review, conferences, etc.) must be completed for full credit. Further details and due dates will be provided.
[1] http://micusp.elicorpora.info/micusp-paper-classification/definitions-for-micusp-paper-classificat